Film is a cornerstone for entertainment and art, from the big budget blockbusters to independent cinema, from the latest new releases to the classics that defined a decade. It connects on a global scale, with all of us able to recount our favourite movies and know what we're looking forward to next.
Yet locally, video stores are struggling. We're in the middle of a surge in online engagement where we buy, communicate and work online. We browse, research and are entertained online. This shift is likely the most significant in human behaviour in the modern era, yet video stores haven't moved with it.
Isolated from the Internet revolution, many are closing because they can't adjust their running costs as the world around them changes. This is a dilemma. As local stores disappear, they're leaving communities without the range and depth of movies they've always had access to.
However, if the Internet killed the video store, in practice it's not ready to replace it. For many, the simple pleasure of watching a movie from the comfort of their home is not getting any easier.
We love film and our mission is to evolve the local video store to tackle the future.
Simon and Sarah Gilligan are the founders behind APPLEBOX (that's a brother/sister team by the way).
There's nothing like testing sibling relationships through a startup! Not too many plates have been broken and both share a common vision on tackling the fortunes of the local video store.
An applebox is a device used in the film industry to raise something when filming. That's a piccy of some on the right. So put simply, an applebox is what Tom Cruise stands on when he kisses his leading lady.
We've borrowed the term because it highlights our connection to the industry we represent - film. Without the filming, without the movies, we'd have nothing to bring you.
So now you know where the name APPLEBOX comes from! And whilst we dearly love the products from Apple Inc., of the Mac and iPhone fame, we have no connection with them at all.
